Westfield endured a frustrating season-opener on Friday, as the Shamrocks fell to New Palestine 42-28 on the road.
The Dragons began the game with a 17-play drive to score a first-quarter touchdown. New Pal then held the Shamrocks to a three and out, then scored again, going up 14-0 with 3:10 left in the second period.
“It was a rough start, to say the least,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert.
The Shamrocks got on the board seconds after the Dragons’ second touchdown, as Terry Williams took a kickoff return 90 yards for a touchdown. But New Palestine answered that with another score, giving the home team a 21-7 lead.
The second half started with a Westfield fumble that led to a Dragons touchdown. The Shamrocks were able to get that back, as Cole Ballard connected with Patrick Scramm on a touchdown pass. New Pal scored in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter to lead 35-14 and never allowed Westfield to catch up.
“We could not stop the run,” said Gilbert. “They whipped us up front.”
The ‘Rocks did score two touchdowns in the closing period, with Kendall Garnett running 20 yards into the end zone, and Williams getting a second TD on a four-yard run.
Stats for the game were unavailable at press time due to technical issues. Westfield plays its home opener next Friday against Lawrence Central.